CRPF man kills 6 others, is shot dead

A Central Reserve Police Force jawan, allegedly angry at being ticked off for being drunk, turned his AK-47 rifle on his commanding officer and colleagues on Friday night, killing six of them and injuring one.

Harpinder Singh (40), from Punjab, was later shot dead after repeated attempts to subdue him failed, a jawan who witnessed the shooting said.

Singh’s wife Tajinder Kaur, however, said he had called her earlier and hinted that he was upset at the death of one of his friends in the line of duty.

The fratricide at the CRPF camp in Kuchai in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharswan district, 100 km southwest of Ranchi, has shocked the force, already under tremendous strain due to its anti-Maoist duties. Singh’s group is involved in operations against the rebels.

“Prima facie, it seems to be a revengeful act by the killer, who became outraged after his commanding officer discovered him in an inebriated state and threatened to take disciplinary action against him,” said district superintendent of police Abhisekh (he goes by one name).